The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbomachines, and more particularly to a seal assembly for turbomachines.
In various types of turbomachines, seals are employed to provide numerous functions in conjunction with several components within the turbomachine. One such type of seal is a non-contacting face seal that typically operates at a clearance of a few mils (thousandths of an inch) or less. While providing functional advantages such as small leakage, reduced wear and being insensitive to radial runouts, inefficiencies persist. Due to several factors, including manufacturing tolerances and errors, for example, hydrodynamic or hydrostatic features that provide opening forces may be rendered inadequate, which may then lead to self-feeding rub between turbomachine components and undesirable system consequences associated therewith.